You're My Idiot
by The-Asgardian-Writer
Summary: After everything that has happened to him, Crypto wasn't expecting someone like Mirage to walk into his life and make him smile. Crypto didn't mean to do it, but seeing Mirage flustered and even amazed with his combat skills was pretty great. Crypto was actually enjoying this; the adrenaline, the action, and the Old Man trying to be his competition.
1. Chapter 1

**(A/N): Hello, hello! Hope you enjoy my first Cryptage AND Apex Legends fanfic! After watching season 3's trailer, I had to make this fanfic happen, so enjoy!**

"Hope you know how to count, kid." Mirage teased me with a grin against his lips.

It was amusing. After nearly breaking his arm without a second thought, he was really encouraged to mess with me again. I would have assumed with him being so self-centered, he would have made sure his already beaten face doesn't receive another punch to the face. I've even heard he ate a whole metal foot last season, but _geugeon nae sa-eob-i aniya_. (…that isn't any of my business.)

"Try to keep up, old man." I retorted back, glaring at him.

A frown instantly appeared on his face.

"Old man?!"

"Coming through, boys!" I heard Lifeline shouted between us, pushing us off the platform of the drop ship and down towards the arena. I stuffed my hands into my jacket pockets and enjoyed the skydive.

"_I'm not an old man, kid! I can do whatever you can…but better!_" Mirage shouted in my earpiece.

I almost forgot we had them. I rolled my eyes and sighed, watching my breath zip past my face.

"_Focus! We need to figure out where we goin'! Pick a place!_" Lifeline responded. "_Hey, you're name's Crypto, right? Where you wanna' go, Crypto?"_

"_What about that frozen…tower…thing?_" Mirage added.

"I don't care where we are landing," I answered.

"_Frozen tower it is! Let's see how many kills you can get down there, kid!_" He continued before I saw him diving towards the tower. Lifeline had passed by me and waved before doing the same thing as Mirage.

I didn't follow them close to the tower, I dived towards a cave nearby them with a few supply crates scattered near the entrance.

"_Remember to watch ya map, boys. Don't need ya' asses kissing the outa' ring, ya hear?_" Lifeline said in the mic as I pulled out my drone, tossed it into the air, and directed it near the rest of my team. Lifeline was near the respawn beacon, deciding to take either a Scout or a Wingman. I saw Mirage in a small building, turning on his Epic armor. He heard my drone and made eye contact with me without knowing; he winks at the camera.

"_I'm flattered, kid, but I'm not going to undress for you_." He said in the mic.

I shut my camera closed while calling back my drone, stuffing my remote back into my pocket. I heard Mirage laugh into the mic as I felt my face flushed.

"Don't make me break your jaw," I muttered into my mic as I began looting the supply crates.

"_Boys, focus_!" Lifeline yelled into the mic.

The mic was then quiet. So, I continued looting the rest of the crates before heading into the cave to loot more. Mirage had pissed me off.

Suddenly, I heard a gunshot in my mic.

"_Shit, we got company!_" I heard Mirage yell into the mic before hearing a few more bullets.

I pulled out my drone and remote another time and rushed my drone into the fight overhead. I had found Lifeline hiding in front of an open supply crate near the respawn beacon while Mirage hid behind a frozen rock, reloading his gun.

I noticed more movement further ahead of my team, seeing Bloodhound using a hill as their cover with their Longbow propped against it. They were aiming towards Lifeline, ready to shoot.

"I see Bloodhound. Two o'clock. On the hill. I wouldn't show my head if I were you." I told my team as I moved my drone closer to the sniper, but I saw more enemies at the bottom-left of my camera. It was Wraith.

"Damn it," I muttered, allowing her to run out of my field of view.

"_Damn it? Damn it?! What does that mean?_" Mirage asked.

Wraith was my weakness. She had the ability to know what was about to happen next. She could read me like a book. If I aimed my drone on her, she'll know exactly where it was, know exactly where I was. I needed to to be near my team and not –

I get shot in the arm, making me drop my remote and hit the ground. I looked where the bullet came from and found Wraith aiming her Wingman at me.

"Your surveillance can work on everyone else…just not on me. You're lucky you had level one shield on." She says with a smirk on her face.

I don't respond, quickly getting up from the ground and took off running, hearing her pull her trigger, and missed her shot.

"_Crypto? What's goin' on? I hear bullets on your end!_" I heard Lifeline ask in my earpiece.

"Don't worry about me! Just focus on Bloodhound. I'm revealing them now!" I answered, hearing more bullets flying behind me until it suddenly got awkwardly quiet.

I didn't stop running. I knew Wraith had used one of her portals and she was right, her abilities were amazing. Someone with my skills was not capable to fight her…unless I continued running.

"_Where's their last teammate?_" Mirage asked the team.

"_Maybe they came for the respawn beacon and saw someone had looted here._" Lifeline answered.

"Rush Bloodhound," I told them.

"_Wait, what? No, no, no. I'm not letting that kid tell me what to do!_" Mirage responded.

"Just do it! I dropped my remote for my drone, so you're blind until I can get it. If you get them, run to the cave where I'm at if I haven't made it to you."

"_Come on, Elliott!_" Lifeline added.

"_I can't believe this!_" Mirage said, making me nearly grin again.

I was still running, hoping to find another direction that would lead me back to my remote, but I was still going a straight line. I guess I needed to get out of the cave and go back around, but Wraith was nowhere to be found. I was beginning to get nervous. I was thinking of the day I was framed, thinking about my family. With all this running, it felt like I was in the moment of losing my happy life all over again. I skidded to a stop and look back; still no Wraith. So, I ran back for my remote.

It wasn't long before someone kicked me in the waist, making me hit the ground with a thud.

"Gotcha." I heard Wraith mocked behind me.

I looked behind myself to see she was right behind me and swept my feet under her legs. Wraith hits the ground as I stood back up. She instantly kicked up her foot towards my face, but I had grabbed it. Wraith twisted her body around to release herself from my grip and got back onto her feet. I take a swing at her, but she ducks and punched me in my stomach. I grunted as she kicked me in the face. I heard a gun get pulled out, so I shook my head and quickly looked for it. As Wraith aimed and pulled the trigger on me, I had already grabbed the gun and pushed it away from my face.

"_Kid?!_" Mirage yelled.

"I'm fine!" I yelled back, getting frustrated.

Wraith smiled at me from behind her Wingman.

"Are you sure?" She says before kicking me in the groin. I grabbed hold of myself as she punched me in the face.

Wraith was playing with me. So, I headbutted her. She stumbles back and I quickly swing at her. My fist made contact with her nose and she hits the ground, dropping the gun. I picked it up and pulled the trigger on her chest, seeing the purple appearing and breaking. I glanced at her silver eyes that actually seemed to be nervous. Then, Wraith instantly dropped a portal under herself and fell in. I pulled the trigger again and missed her, watching the portal close. I slid the gun into my pocket while pulling out my Mozambique and dropping it on the ground.

"Did you two get Bloodhound?" I asked my team.

"_Yep. That's one, kid._" Mirage answered.

"_We're comin' over to you._" Lifeline said.

"Don't worry. Wraith got away."

"_You fought Wraith…on your own? Ajay and I can handle her…at some points, but someone who's playing Apex for his first time should not have survived. I'm not saying that I lost to her when I first played, but -_"

"_Elliot!_" Lifeline yelled, interrupting Mirage.

"_Warning: Ring movement in progress._" Said the announcer, echoing over the arena.

I checked the map.

"The edge of the Ring leads us to Fuel Depot. We need to go now before a team attacks us from behind." I explained to my team while finding my remote for my drone and headed out the cave. "Though, we need to decide. We can either go around Capital City or go straight through. Your choice."

"_I'm down for the Capital if everyone else is_. _Just give me a sec' to loot these death boxes._" Lifeline responded.

"_Hey, don't take everything!_" Mirage shouted.

"_Well, you betta' hurry up then._"

**(A/N): Comment and Review! Also, check out my Wattpad: ashlin_port**


	2. Chapter 2

**(A/N): Finally had time to finish the next chapter! Sorry for the wait! I gotta work, work, work, lol! Enjoy!**

"So, Crypto...it's Crypto, right?" Mirage asked, making sure he was walking right beside me as we headed towards Capital City.

I normally don't avoid eye contact, even if it means looking at Mirage, but for some odd reason when I wanted to give him the death glare, my stomach ached. Maybe due to his little statement about not wanting to undress for me had me on edge. I would have never expected that to come out that idiot's mouth, but here we are, completely flustered about the thought.

"Kid," Mirage spoke.

"_Crypto_." I corrected, as we walked down a hill.

"_Crypto_..." He repeated. "Why did you want to join Apex Games?"

"I have my reasons and you have yours."

"Well, yeah. But, everyone eventually told their story. Besides Caustic. Every time I ask, he stares at me like I stole his donut from the fridge or something."

I don't respond, but shivered at the thought of dealing with that ghastly man. Who is more deadlier than a Wraith? Caustic who only plays to watch someone die. It is terrifying.

"Hey, you alright?" I heard Mirage ask. I guess my terror was showing on my face. I glanced at him with a curling stomach.

"I'm fine." I answered before walking ahead, stuffing my hands deeper into my pockets.

"Seems like anotha' team got here before us. Betta' stay close if we wanna' live." Lifeline informed in front of Mirage and I.

Capital City was bigger than I thought it would be when World's Edge was announced on Apex Games' social media. Tons of skyscrapers to hide or possibly die in, but it was perfect for someone like me to use my drone in.

We finally had made it within city limits when I pulled out my remote to fiddle with it.

"Ya know, it would be _really_ nice if we had Octane, Pathfinder, or Wraith on our team. We would have gotten around a lot faster here." Mirage said behind me.

"Why da' rush? Seems like the team before us looted pretty well, so I don't think any otha' team will stay longa' like we are. We can take our time." Lifeline responded while stepping into a nearby building. "What? You think we gonna' get our asses kicked?"

Lifeline didn't realize his statement was towards me.

"It could...possibly happen." Mirage answered as him and I followed Lifeline into the building.

Lifeline giggles.

"Well, if it does happen, you betta' be prepared, ya hear?"

"Yeah, yeah. I hear."

Lifeline flashes a glance at me before walking upstairs for more loot. I glanced at Mirage who had already walked away to look for his own loot. I felt pretty stable with what I had: A Wingman in my pocket and a Longbow on my back. At this point, I was just looking for attachments, ammo, and healing items.

I stuffed my hands back into my pockets, fiddling with my remote once again as I went to the second floor of the building.

Lifeline was checking the map upstairs with her healing drone on her lap as she was sitting on top of a counter.

The room we were in was colored dark purple by the lights. It seemed to look like a weed farm, but since we were in space, it could be any weird plant besides just weed.

"What's ya real name, Crypto?" Lifeline suddenly asked.

I looked at her as she and her drone gazed right back at me.

"...Classified information." I answered.

"So, you got a secret?"

_On the nose_, I thought.

"No, I just don't want my name out."

Lifeline jumped down from the counter, making her drone fly up beside her.

"No problem. All of us has our secrets. Don't be ashamed."

"Thank-you."

"I was really hoping to know more about you, though. My real name is Ajay and Mirage is Elliot."

"Thanks, now the kid can take my identity or something." Mirage said behind me.

I glanced over my shoulder at him and watched him stare at Ajay before looking at me. I guess I made a face for him calling me "kid" because he showed a grin before looking back at Ajay.

"Ajay, do you have any med kits? I have twenty-four syringes. I know you have med kits." Mirage continued, stepping up to her.

Ajay laughed.

"Get ya own." She responded.

"What if I'm low on health?"

"I'll think about it."

"You know, you don't have to be like this every time we play together." Mirage continued.

"I don't, but as you can see I find it too damn hilarious not to mess with ya." Ajay replied, smiling from ear to ear.

Mirage sighed.

"I can't believe this."

Suddenly, Mirage was shot down through the window behind Ajay.

"Get down!" I yelled before avoiding the window as Ajay hit the ground for Mirage.

"Why is there a team here?" Mirage shouted as I heard footsteps outside the building. I quickly ran for cover further into the room.

Ajay pulls out her map again as I threw out my drone and guided it to my team.

"Shit, the Ring closing in thirty seconds. Seems like they were getting a head start through the city!" Ajay explained as she began to patch up Mirage.

"I told you!" Mirage shouted as the enemy team was heard crashing into the building and running up the stairs.

"Shut up!" Both Ajay and I shouted back.

"Turn on ya mics!" Ajay continued.

I do as she says just as the shooting from the other team began, but Ajay still had her drone's shield up, still patching up Mirage.

Through my drone's eye, I could see it was Bangalore, Gibraltar, and another Bloodhound. Ajay and Mirage were pinned behind the shield as Ajay tried her best to shoot back. I couldn't sit there. I had to help them in some way other than revealing. My EMP was ready...and so was my gun.

"_This new guy better not mess up my stats...or my awesome hair._" I heard Mirage say in the mic.

"_Haja gada_." ("Let's go.") I said before activating my EMP and pulling out my Wingman. I started to fire at the Bloodhound, instantly taking them down with a headshot through the shelves. Then, I aimed at Bangalore who was hiding behind a crate, reloading. I pulled the trigger on her the moment she locked and loaded her gun. Then, I turned around, seeing Gibraltar going for a dick move for Mirage and Ajay.

He wanted to take them both down, so I wouldn't have any back up or Mirage would be killed and forced to be respawned.

I quickly pulled out my remote and moved my drone towards Gibraltar as I ran for him. He had heard my drone closing in on him as I blasted another EMP. The EMP didn't seem to bother him as much as he aimed his gun at me, but I was faster than him. I pulled my trigger and shot a bullet through his skull. The enemy team was defeated.

I slid my Wingman back into my pocket and called for my drone. I grabbed it from the air and placed it back into its holster. I faced my teammates and smiled because I noticed in their eyes, they were impressed.

Ajay had completely stopped assisting Mirage with his wounds. Even Mirage finally stopped talking. It was too much staring...too much attention on me, but it still made me happy.

"Are you two alright?" I asked them as I turned off my mic.

Ajay got back into focus and finished up on Mirage's wounds. As for Mirage, he avoided my answer and stared at the wall in front of him.

"Did I do something wrong?" I asked.

"No. You're just betta' than I thought you'll be." Ajay answered as she help Mirage to his feet.

Ajay stepped away to loot the death boxes as I kept my eyes on Mirage. He wasn't acting like his normal, annoying self like he has been doing during the start of this match.

Mirage pulled out his map before realizing I was still looking at him. He avoids my eye contact by looking back at the map.

"Did I mess up any of your stats...or your hair?" I teased.

"Whatever, kid. That was just luck." Mirage responded while putting away his map.

There he goes again with calling me "kid". It had pushed me over the edge that time. So, I stepped up to Mirage and grabbed him by his collar. I had made him nervous. Our eyes were locked and I was on the verge of punching him in the face.

"Stop calling me _kid_." I demanded and he didn't respond as I pushed him away. Mirage fixes his outfit before stepping away from me, finally looking pissed off.

Ajay had finally noticed something happened between us as she finished searching through the third death box.

"Why don't we loot and head out. With all that shootin' some otha' team's bound to show up." She says as she stacks a few med kits before placing them in her backpack.

**(A/N): Comment Review! Also, check out my Wattpad: @ashlin_port**


	3. Chapter 3

**(A/N): Sorry for the wait! Here's the next chapter! Enjoy!**

Our team nearly had fallen to the outer Ring after our last fight in Capitol City. Ajay continued making jokes about how Mirage and I were making sure it never did touch us while she had the running headstart.

We were heading for the Epic Center. It was a fortress on top of a space elevator. It was surprisingly beautiful.

"Ajay! Where are your medkits?!" Mirage shouted from behind me as I heard him jogging through the snow. I watched him finally jog passed me.

"I know, Elliot! Don't get ya panties in a twist!" Ajay called back while she pulled her medkits our her bag and tossed two kits to Mirage.

Mirage started using one of the medkits while I pulled out my drone to make sure nobody was near us. It was too quiet.

"I'm going down to loot the towa'. Don't die while I'm gone." Ajay said as she headed down the snowy hill.

"Geez, you don't know anything about sticking together as a team." Mirage sighed.

"You can handle yourself, right?"

"Of course I can!"

"Then, stick with that."

Then, Ajay was gone. I made sure I moved my drone near her, just to make sure she was alright as I felt someone lay their arm on my shoulder. I knew it was Mirage, but I was trying my best not to break his arm as I continued to watch Ajay.

"So, after this match, Apex is giving us a day off tomorrow and I'm hosting a party at my bar. Want to –"

"No." I interrupted.

"I make juices as well, you don't have to drink." Mirage continued.

I close out of my drone but kept it on to hear out for any notifications for an enemy.

"What I mean is, I don't want to come to your party," I replied, staring at him.

Mirage took a second to stare back at me before taking his arm off my shoulder. That's when I realized he was a few inches taller than me. It pissed me off and even a bit jealous.

"What did I ever do to you?" He asked.

"Annoy me."

"That's a part of my personality! Everybody knows that! Though they might call it an ego, as you can see, every Legend seems to enjoy me. Even Alexander!"

I stuffed my hands into my pockets and looked away from him. It was getting cold and my jacket wasn't really helping. I even tried zipping it up and the cold air still found a way to make me shiver.

"Come on, Crypto. Just check it out and if you don't want to stay, just leave. I get plenty of drunk idiots that walk out my bar every – K-UGH!"

I had punched Mirage in the stomach then walked down the snowy hill myself. He had pissed me off once again all because he decided to put me in the category of drunk idiots. _They were messing with me. They knew Mirage will put me on edge and they could possibly sneak up behind me and take me into custody. My nerves were on fire_, I thought.

With the anxiety that I had, I didn't realize Mirage had come up behind me and tackled me down the hill of snow. He held me at my jacket collar as we rolled down the hill. Once we hit the end of the snowy hill, Mirage was on top of me with the angriest expression I have ever seen on his face. Then, with swiftness, he punches me in the cheek before throwing me into the snow.

"I'm not your punching bag, _Kid_." Mirage spats as he got up, watching my every move. "I'm your teammate."

I sat up and glared at him. He wasn't in the mood for his annoying personality anymore. Mirage was somewhat intimidating at that moment and I felt my heart skip a beat after losing my glare and looking away. He was right. He was my teammate in this match.

Suddenly, Mirage raised out his hand to me and smiled. I stared at his hand then glanced back up at him. He wiggles his hand a little, making me understand that he wanted to move on, so I took his hand.

"The invite still on the table." He says before heading towards the frozen space elevator to loot with Ajay.

I watched him while sticking my hands back into my jacket pockets. Mirage had a dark side to him this entire time and I thought he was some dude who wanted fame. But, it seems I was wrong. I realized I was staring for too long and shook my head to regain myself. I felt the heat on my cheeks as I hurried down to my team.

* * *

"Huh, this match was pretty fast. What happened to the other teams?" Mirage asked us inside the tower as he was leaning up against the wall. He fixes at his scarf to cover his mouth, trying to let his breath warm him up. I bet it stinks of his scent.

"Rank matches, rememba'?" Ajay answered beside him while checking her own map. I was nearby them, fiddling with my remote once more. "The Ring is deadly, so we best keep our asses in the inner Ring."

"How many are left?" I asked him.

"Eight. Including us." She answered before closing her map and sitting down. Her healing drone flew onto her lap and curled up like a cat. Ajay lays a hand on the robot as she leans her head against the cold metal wall.

I noticed Mirage had glanced at the drone then at me before looking back at his map.

"What?" I questioned and Mirage knew exactly who I was talking to.

"Is your drone artificial?" He asked.

"Never needed it, but I have my thoughts on it."

"It's useful and loving," Ajay added, glancing at her drone.

"It's definitely noted to be worked on," I responded.

"If ya want, I can help ya with it." Ajay grinned.

I nodded to her before checking on my drone's eye. No other players were getting picked up yet and it was making me nervous again. The Ring seemed to be ending near Epic Center and Refinery. There was too much open ground and a lot of high ground with only eight teams standing. Without Pathfinder or Gibraltar, we won't have much ground coverage. The only opportunity we have is my drone and if that's shot, we're blind.

"You seeing anything on ya drone, Crypto?" Ajay asked. I glanced through my hologram to look at her.

"No. Not yet. Though, where are the rest of the teams?" I asked her.

"Camping. It's for placement points. Every team wants to make sure they're at least within the top five teams. If ya make it to top five, you get more points, but of course, everyone wants to win."

I focused back onto my drone's eye, watching the snow pick up a little due to some winds, but if I didn't think to look back into my camera, I would have never noticed someone aiming for my drone. I panicked, instantly swinging my drone away from the bullet that nearly took it out. I quickly called my drone back before leaving the camera and dropping onto the ground with adrenaline, out of breath.

"Kid, what happened?" Mirage asked, jogging to me with an outstretched hand. Even Ajay was worried as my drone flew into the room with us. It had startled both my teammates as they yanked out their guns. Once they realized it was my drone, they holstered their weapons and focused back on me.

"Someone's here. They're pretty far, but if we waste any more time, they're going to find us." I told them while taking Mirage's hand. He pulls me up as I pulled out my Wingman.

"Did you see who it was?" Mirage asked as he pulled out his Hemlock after seeing me pull out my gun.

"No. They caught me off guard." I answered.

"We need to keep movin'," Ajay added as she checked the map. "The train is comin' from Capitol City. We could take it for cover after getting' away from this team. We'll use it to get to Refinery and claim the high ground. There, you could use your drone to scout the rest of the teams who are still alive."

I nodded to her once more.

"Let's go," I said as I put up my drone while we all hurried for the door, but what stopped us in our tracks were electric fences blocking all our exits. Wattson and Pathfinder appeared on the other side of the door, waving at us.

"Hi, friends," Pathfinder said before pulling out a grenade and tossing it inside with us.

"Shit!" Mirage shouted as I felt him push his body against me, trying to dodge the grenade. He collapsed on top of me before the grenade blew up. I heard all of our body shield break as the impact pushed us up against the wall. Smoke filled the air as I listened out for my teammates. Mirage suddenly started coughing before he raised his head and made eye contact with me. He realized he was on top of me and his face turned beet red.

"…Y-you alright?" He asked.

"I'm fine. Where's Ajay?" I asked him, trying to ignore his embarrassment.

"I'm alright, boys. Luckily for us, we all had some good body shields."

Mirage made sure to get off of me and lends another hand for me, avoiding eye contact. The smoke finally disappeared as everyone began to recharge their shields. I was surprised the enemy team didn't close in after the grenade.

"They blocked every entrance," Mirage responded to Ajay as she quickly peeked at the doors to see if she could shoot the bottom of the fence poles.

"Yeah, and I can't even get a good aim at the bottom of the poles. We need anotha' way out."

"My drone can break those fences. The only problem is that we'll be hit by the E-M-P as well." I explained to my team as I yanked out my drone.

Ajay and Mirage suddenly stare at me in shock.

"What the hell? It can do that?" Mirage blurted out and I nodded.

"That's perfect!" Ajay exclaimed, grabbing Mirage's and my attention. "I got an idea."

**(A/N): Comment and Review! Also, check out my Wattpad: ashlin_port**


	4. Chapter 4

**(A/N): It's here! Sorry for the long wait...again. Enjoy!**

"You know, this might actually work," Mirage said within Epic Center's tower. Ajay and I were watching the doors, making sure the Gibraltar, Wattson, and Pathfinder weren't deciding on killing us now. They knew they had us and could just leave us trapped in the outer Ring. Though, they didn't know we finally had a plan to survive another Ring.

Ajay had the idea for me to use my EMP to allow Mirage to run out the door using his cloak. It should give him enough time to scout the area as well as possibly downing an enemy in the process. It was pretty smart of her; even I wouldn't have thought of that.

We had a minute before the Ring closes and for the train to get to us. We needed to do this right. We had a few more seconds before Mirage's cloak was ready to activate, so we were making sure we had enough loot to last this fight and make it to the next Ring. I noticed Mirage had glanced at me another time as he covered his mouth with his scarf again. He seemed nervous. I couldn't complain, I was nervous as well. If either of us messes this plan up, we'll experience a gruesome death.

"You know what you're doing, Crypto?" Mirage asked me.

"Yeah. If I were you, I would focus on myself." I answered. "I hope you can handle a little sting from my E-M-P."

"If I can handle Nox gas, I can handle your shock grenade."

I smirked.

"We need to start this up, Boys." Ajay interrupted, as she pulled out her Scout. "The train's almost here."

I pulled out my drone and stared at both my teammates with my hands in my coat pockets.

"I have a few more seconds…" Mirage said, watching his cloak charge up. "It's ready!"

Ajay looks at me.

"You ready?" She asked.

I nodded and everyone got into their places. Mirage stood by another door opposite from Ajay and I. I hovered my drone above us and activated the EMP. We all heard it begin to charge up, feeling the tension for knowing it was going to be painful.

"Elliot, if you down someone, we're going for the rest of the team. If you can't, scout the area for us to get onto the train, ya' hear me?" Ajay re-explained.

"Yep!" Mirage shouted back.

Then, a few seconds later, my EMP went off. I remembered to clench my teeth before it did and the pain swelled up through my body. After experiencing my EMP plenty of times, I was used to the shock. As for the rest of my teammates, they were yelling their asses off.

I was right. Wattson's fences broke the moment the EMP had gone off, so the moment my EMP stopped, I heard Mirage use his cloak. I grabbed Ajay by the hand and yanked her out the building before the enemy team had the chance to catch up to us since our body shields were broken in half.

I checked the map while I ran, seeing we had about thirty seconds before we missed the train.

"Elliot?" Ajay called.

"_I'm not seeing anyone? You think they already left?_" Mirage asked.

"They wouldn't," I answered as Ajay and I found a hiding spot to shield up.

"We have to go for the train. I don't want to take any chances." Ajay added.

"_Going!_" Mirage responded.

We all headed for the train, a few seconds away from us. All we needed to do was get on just in time. We will be near Overlook, heading into Refinery, but we will have to jump off before we make it to the next train station.

Suddenly, a Charge Rifle had gone off and I heard Ajay grunt. I realized we were in open ground, enough for a sniper to claim a kill and they were focused on Ajay and I. I checked her health, it was already halfway through her health. Already broke the body shield!

"Ajay!" I called, trying to reach for her hand again, but another bullet hit her. It had pushed her body hard enough to pushed me forward, making me roll down a snowy hill towards the train tracks.

"_Shit! Can you get to her?_" Mirage asked, yelling into the mic. I could hear the train.

"_Attention: The Ring is now closing._" Said the Announcer.

"Crypto! Go! They're chasing –" Ajay had said before her mic was cut.

Ajay's health bar turned green, notifying us she was killed.

"_Ajay!_" Mirage yelled into the mic.

"Get on the train! I'm coming!" I told him, running on the tracks towards the train.

"_I'm already on it!_"

I heard the train before it came around the corner. Mirage was at the front of it, holding out his hand for me to grab it. I quickly do and he pulled me up, throwing me onto the train floor.

"Shit, what happened?" He asked, huffing and puffing.

"Charge Rifle," I answered him, getting onto my feet. I realized my drone was still at Epic Center, so I quickly called it in before we were at Refinery.

The train was going pretty fast, so the Ring was not going to touch us. I noticed the train wasn't looted, so I began my search and Mirage did the same. My hands were shaking from adrenaline, constantly thinking about Ajay. All that work and we still lost a teammate. I know she was watching us from the waiting room after being killed, but that doesn't mean that kill didn't hurt me. It felt so real. I exhaled, letting all my nervousness out when I heard extra feet walking on the train.

"Mirage, do you hear that?" I said into my mic.

"_Yeah,_" He responded. "_I'm heading for the roof of the train._"

Mirage was still at the front of the train while I was in the back. We were surrounding this team, but there were only two of us. I quietly walked towards the middle of the train, seeing another Wraith and a Pathfinder looting a supply crate. There was no sign of a third enemy; I had the upper-hand. I noticed Mirage still running on the train's roof, but I was already there before him. I smirked at him before I took off for the enemies.

I had run fast enough to quickly grab one of them, but too fast for them to hear me coming during the last moment. I had Pathfinder in a chokehold, shooting my bullet through his eye. Then, I ducked when Wraith pulled her R-99 on me. I shot both her knees, making her hit the ground. Apparently, she had a gold knockdown shield. I wickedly grinned at her, picking her up by the collar, making sure there was no third member before grabbing my drone the exact moment it flew to me and smacked her in the face with it. I turned to Pathfinder and quickly shot him again in the head. There was a third teammate somewhere on the train since Pathfinder was still down.

"Hey!" I heard Mirage yell to me.

I glanced up at him and noticed Caustic sneaking up behind him.

"Those were mine!" Mirage continued as I quickly picked up Pathfinder's Charge Rifle and aimed it towards him, charging it up.

I saw Mirage's eyes widen.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, kid, it's me! It's the _Old Man_!" He continued yelling.

I winked at him before firing the sniper, hoping this idiot will move out the way. Mirage did and the bullet instantly killed the Caustic behind him. I dropped the sniper on the ground, smirking at my teammate, but I suddenly heard something land beside me:

_One of Bangalore's missiles._

I instantly took off running towards Mirage without a second thought.

"I thought you were gonna kill me." I heard him say when I was closer to him.

I grabbed him by his arm and pushed him towards the front of the train as the missiles exploded.

"Don't be an idiot!" I said to him.

The explosions were too fast, knocking us off the train

"I'm not an idiot!" Mirage yelled mid-flight before we crashed landed into the snow below.

* * *

I woke up in the snow with some of my body shield taken off. I couldn't believe we had survived. I looked around for Mirage, seeing him nowhere near me.

"Mirage?" I called out.

No answer; I clench my teeth.

"Elliot?" I called again.

"So, you're the real Crypto?" I heard Mirage say in front of me. "I fought a few before you, but they ran just like you."

I looked ahead and saw another Mirage. I knew it wasn't my teammate as someone punched me in the face from the right of me, knocking me back down in the snow. The way I was punched allowed me to see my teammate getting killed by Octane, repeatedly kicking Mirage in the face. I looked back at the enemy Mirage, but I was staring at the head of a charged Peacekeeper.

"Good fight." He said before ending my life and my first match.

**(A/N): Fun Fact: The plan that Ajay made, I actually did with my real teammates. Though, we didn't hurt ourselves with the EMP, we hurt a team with the EMP while my teammate ran into the building with a ark star on his person in his cloak, so...somewhat like her plan, lol. Comment & Review! Also, check out my Wattpad: ashlin_port**


	5. Chapter 5

**(A/N): Enjoy the newest chapter!**

_"Crypto! Go! They're chasing –"_

"Great game, fellas! The kills we got kept us from not losing too many points." Ajay said back on the dropship in perfect condition. She was smiling at Mirage, giving him a high-five. Then, she turns to me. "I'm impressed by you, Crypto. Didn't think you were a fighta' when I first saw you."

I don't respond, so Ajay smiles at me another time before stepping away, leaving me with Mirage beside me.

"Hey, uh…great job with your ultimate ability," Mirage admitted.

I was taken aback from his sudden compliment and actually turned to him. Mirage was avoiding eye contact, fixing at his scarf. I looked ahead to stop my gaze on him.

"Was my…_shock grenade_ as strong as the Nox gas?" I asked him to at least give him a bone.

"It was pretty strong. Nearly felt some sort of foam in my mouth for a moment, but it's still not as strong as Nox gas." Mirage answered, hearing the tease in his voice. He sounded more relaxed than he was just a moment ago, so I stepped away.

After the match, Apex Games had notified the players there was free time for another match before nightfall. I was honestly hoping to be matched with Ajay again. I felt horrible after leaving her to die like that. I could have at least tried to pick up her banner, but I knew if I tried, I would have died sooner than I did.

My hands started to shake, so I clenched them and sighed out. Apex was a lot more complicated than I remember seeing it. It felt so real. The pain, the emotions, _everything_. But, when we all stepped back onto the dropship, everyone was companions like nothing ever happened down there in the Arena. Wattson and Pathfinder had waved at me through the halls, Octane wanted to know if he could have a ride on my drone, Bloodhound, Wraith, and Gilbraltar complimented me on my performance, Bangalore gave me a quick nod passing by me through the halls, and Caustic only stared at me while I passed by his quarters.

I had made it to my own quarters, taking a seat on the bed Apex had given me with a pillow that had the Korean flag printed on it. My quarters were clean and simple with a computer just for me, but I knew Apex was watching my every search. I sat down at my computer and began to do a little more investigating on my own case. I had about thirty seconds until I had to cover my tracks before the Syndicate can realize there's a virus in their system. I was about to begin my search when someone leaned against the wall near my desk. I gave them my attention, locking eyes with Wraith's silver ones. I was able to feel a shiver go down my spine as I clenched my mouse.

"I was killed a bit after our little fight. Nice ultimate ability. Now, I know you're not just a wannabe Bloodhound." She says with a grin against her lips. Wraith wanted me to crack on her, get under my skin. I clenched my teeth, holding back my own insult. "A hacker _always_ has a story. Hyeon Kim, right?"

I glared at her, completely tired of her shit.

"_Dangsin-i eongmang-in salam-eul deo jal bol su issseubnida_. (You better watch who you are messing with.)" I retorted, standing up to her. Wraith was a few inches smaller than me, but her intimidation was much stronger than her size. I felt my chest ache as the alarm for the next match began, revealing my new team:

Mirage and Wraith.

I frowned at their photos on the screen before eyeing Wraith who was already smirking at me.

"Good luck." She says before stepping away to get onto the jumping platform. I logged out of my computer before heading over beside Wraith. She avoided my presence as Mirage stepped up to us. He smiles at Wraith, giving her a quick nudge to the shoulder before looking at me.

"Teammates again? The fans must love us together, huh?" He asked me as he prepared himself onto the jumping platform.

I didn't answer him, trying to look for Ajay, finding her with Octane and Pathfinder. I sighed, stuffing my hands back into my jacket pockets.

_Yeah…the fans_, I thought as the floor under us began to open to World's Edge.

Snow began to fly into the dropship as I gazed at the Arena once more. The head of the Peacekeeper flashed in my brain, making my hands shake again. I gripped my remote and began playing with it to calm down. Suddenly, a holographic screen appears in front of the team:

_Champion: Gibraltar_

Mirage groans under the sounds of the wind as he stretched his shoulder.

"Let's go to Overlook." He says.

"The Geyser's Hot Drop," Wraith added.

"Nah, too many players rushing for the Vault."

There was a pause between all of us.

"Crypto," Mirage called. "Overlook or Geyser to claim the Vault?"

I thought for a moment about it. Though, we were running out of time before we had to jump.

"…Overlook." I finally answered.

"Let's go," Wraith said before she jumped with Mirage following right behind her.

Then, I jumped, following them to the edge of the map. I felt my nervousness freak out within my arms as we glided to our chosen destination.

"_Enemy team!_" Mirage called onto the mic.

"_It's Ajay. She told me she wanted to versus me early match._" Wraith replied as we all finally landed.

"_And you tell us this now?_"

We all rushed for the buildings. I ran into a truck, finding a P-Twenty and a Level One Helmet. I sighed as I heard footsteps rushing towards me.

_Shit_, I thought as I hurried out the truck. Octane sped towards me and jump kicked me in the face the moment he saw me. I hit the ground hard, tasting dirt in my mouth. I saw one of Octane's metal legs raise once again, forcing me to quickly dodge a metal foot in my mouth.

I started shooting my gun, missing all my shots since Octane stabbed himself with one of his drugged needles.

"_Crypto?_" Mirage asked.

"_I need help!_" I shouted into the mic.

"Ah! Don't worry, Amigo! I'll finish you in a matter of seconds!" Octane shouted to me before rushing towards me.

I raised my hands up in front of my face, blocking more metal. The impact pushed me back a little as I pushed myself against Octane's foot. He staggers back, allowing me to run to him, throwing punches, but majority of them missed. Octane quickly punches me in the gut, knocking me back down, and allowing me to drop the only gun I had. He pulls out his Alternator and aims it at my chest.

"Remember to respawn, so I can run around, and chase you again!" Octane exclaims before a bullet flew through his head, making him drop to the ground.

"_Knocked_," Wraith mutters into the mic. I heard the grin in her voice.

Then, Mirage steps up beside me with a smile on his face. He slides his feet, moving over towards Octane before snapping a pose. Then, he does a twirl, kicks Octane square in the face, and does a little dance.

"Already off to a great start, Squad!" He says before looking over his shoulder at me.

"_Was that really necessary? Octavio is going to get you for that._" Wraith responded.

"Yeah, but I still haven't completely gotten him back for kicking me in the face during the first season."

"_Someone's holding a grudge._"

Mirage hesitates.

"_Payback _is what I call it."

Wraith scoffs in the mic just as I did. Though, Mirage had caught me amused by the conversation and smiled at me.

"Hey, we made the kid smile." He teased before raising a hand out to me.

I frowned and avoided his gaze. I was going to say something about the nickname he had given me, but I stopped myself and reached for his hand. Then, a bullet flew between us.

"_It's a sniper!_" Wraith shouted on the mic. Mirage and I rushed to our feet, taking cover in the building Wraith was standing on top of. "_We need to find out who's the sniper._"

"I got it," I told her before throwing out my drone. I moved it out the window of the building and began my search. I didn't see anyone in my drone's eye, but the banner of the champion squad had told me there was still a team nearby. It was too quiet. "I'm not seeing anyone. They're not even respawning Octane."

"_It's a normal match. They don't need to worry about points._" Wraith explained.

I logged out my drone and glanced at Mirage. He was looking out the window with his Triple Take, tapping at the trigger. I noticed he had changed his uniform this match. It was still yellow, but it was a full steel outfit. He even had dyed his curls yellow. I rolled my eyes back into my drone's eye. Though, the moment I went into my drone, something exploded in my right ear. I leave my drone once more and found thick smoke blinding me as I heard my drone being destroyed.

It was Bangalore again.

"They're rushing the building!" I shouted as I tried to pull out my P-Twenty and realized I left it where Octane was.

Mirage instantly threw out one of his holograms towards the door the enemy team was rushing, but a thermite grenade had stopped its path, but still giving us a reveal on where that thermite came from.

"_On it,_" Wraith said before I heard footsteps on the roof of the building.

"Let's go, Crypto." I heard Mirage call in the smoke while hearing a door open in front of me.

I hurried to my feet and followed the noise out the building and into the sunlight with Mirage. Then, I get sniped in the chest and knocked down. I never felt so much pain in my life. The bullet was strong enough to pull me back a few feet, making me bump my head against the steel building.

"Shit, Crypto! Wraith, the sniper was forcing us out! It's two versus two!" Mirage shouted as he ran for me. When he did, he blocked a bullet for me. He coughed up some blood, holding his hand against the wall above me before looking up at me. Mirage looked dazed, grabbing me by my shirt collar, and pulling me up. I was expecting him to throw me over his shoulders, but he grabbed the first wrist he saw of mine and ran for more cover.

Even though I was shot, Mirage knew I still had some strength to run. Before we cut a corner to finally have cover to heal up, Mirage was knocked down by another sniper bullet, making me trip over him. I rolled into cover, smacking my back against a boulder. I shouted out my pain before looking down at Mirage who was trying to crawl to me.

"_Are you guys alright?_" I heard Wraith ask in the mic. I was going to speak to her, but another bullet had barely missed my head. I rushed for Mirage's aid, grabbing one of his hands and pulling him behind the boulder.

I peeked over my cover to look for the sniper, finding Ajay camped on a two-story building closest to the edge of the Arena. I saw her sights aimed at my head and dodged another bullet when I ducked back down behind cover. I quickly pulled out my map and pinged Ajay on the map for Wraith.

"_Heard you. I'll buy you some time to get Elliot back up._" Wraith responded.

I looked over at Mirage, finding him leaned up against the boulder beside me. He was holding his stomach with tons of blood on his uniform and even some dripping from his mouth. My chest began to ache as I pulled out a needle of adrenaline. Mirage glances at me and nods, dropping himself onto the ground to give me a better aim for his heart. I crawl over next to him, making sure my head isn't seen by Ajay before stabbing the needle into Mirage's chest. He clenches his teeth while trying to hold in a cry of pain as I quickly pulled out the needle to help him back up.

"Thanks." Mirage sighs as he goes through his bag and pulled out a few syringes for us to share.

I nodded to him, obviously terrified. I started shaking again while trying to use one of the syringes. I saw Mirage watching me in the corner of my eye.

"Shut up," I told him.

"I'm not saying anything!" He responded, starting to laugh. "Don't worry. I'm shaking a little from that needle you stabbed me with."

"That's different."

"Yeah, but…it's still a shake."

I rolled my eyes, but I noticed him talking to me had stopped my shivers. I glanced at Mirage another time and found him smiling at me before he focused back on Ajay.

_He knew that was going to work_, I thought.

Mirage covered himself behind the boulder by laying down on his stomach and aimed down sights with his Triple Take. I heard the sniper charge up before I heard a bullet go off. Mirage took Wraith's kill.

"_Seriously, Elliot?_" Wraith asked in the mic.

Mirage started to reload his sniper.

"_She made the new guy scared,_" Mirage answered.

"I'm not scared," I responded, glaring at him once again with heat against my cheeks.

Mirage made eye contact with me again and winked. I rolled my eyes and stepped away, heading to Octane's death box.

**(A/N): Comment & Review! Also, check out my Wattpad: ashlin_port**


	6. Chapter 6

**(A/N): New chapter! Enjoy! The next chapter is planned to be out sometime next week!**

"No more stealing my kills, Elliot," Wraith said to Mirage while playfully pushing him.

"Well, next time, be a bit faster. That's your specialty, right?" Mirage teased, quickly throwing a push back.

I was following behind him, trying my best to ignore their playful bantering. I wasn't in the mood for it. The two people I didn't want to be on my team was on my team. _They_ had to be bothering me with this. It's too obvious.

We were heading to the Epic Center another time and I didn't know why. Mirage and Wraith had taken a zipline near the area and continued walking in that direction. The Ring was near Fuel Depot and the Tree and that was on the other side of the damn map.

I had my hands stuffed in my pocket, holding onto a G-Seven Scout and an R-Ninety-Nine against my back. The cold was once again annoying just as much as my team, but at least it was quieter.

Suddenly, a grenade went off in the distance; somewhere within the Epic Center. Wraith instantly took off.

"Those are mine." She said before leaving Mirage and I behind.

"H-hey! Wait up!" Mirage shouted, chasing after her.

It was as if I was never here. I was starting to wonder if they were secretly a couple.

"_Crypto, you're with us, are ya?_" Wraith asked in the mic.

"Yeah," I answered.

"_Great. Do you mind hovering the drone over me? I would like to have the constant reveal if you don't mind._"

I clenched my teeth at Wraith's request as I threw out my drone, taking my time to move it near her.

Wraith had run straight into the fight with Mirage running a few feet behind her, using his ultimate ability. My drone had finally made it to my team while I watched two other teams fighting with mine. I should have joined that fight, but since my teammates' health bars were fine, I continued to watch, continuing to reveal every enemy manually. I noticed it was the champion team, seeing Gibraltar taking down Bangalore. Though, Caustic had stepped into the fight, pulling out his ultimate ability. He began to aim it near Mirage and Wraith, making me freak out and rush out my drone.

"Get out of there!" I yelled into my mic.

"_We're fine, Crypto! Fights like this-_"

Then, I heard the Nox Gas Grenade explode in Mirage's mic as coughing began to be heard as well. I saw the green gas engulfing the main area of the Epic Center as I watched Wraith and Mirage's heath quickly drain.

My hands began to shake. I didn't want to face Caustic. He was the most terrifying and dangerous player in the Apex Games and I wanted to make sure I was never near him as much as possible.

"_C-Cryp…help!_" Wraith wheezed, trying to talk within the gas.

I despised these teammates of mine, but the noise of them having to deal with a gruesome death was terrifying and as well pissing me off. This was just one of Caustic's experiments. The Apex Games wasn't just a game to him; it was also a disgusting science project.

I shook my hands to try and calm my nerves once again as I pulled out my G-Seven Scout. Though, as I was about to take off, someone had grabbed me by my arm and slammed me down into the snow. My gun had headbutted me, giving me even more pain to yell for. I opened my eyes to the head of the Longbow in my face. I tsked at the sight, forcing me to be reminded of my first death in this chaotic game.

I focused my eyes on who was holding it, meeting my own eyes. I was taken aback, staring at myself. The enemy Crypto scoffs.

"You're the real one." He says.

I smack the gun away from my face and rushed to my feet as I felt the enemy grab me by my jacket and pushed me away from him. I hit the ground expecting the enemy Crypto to pull the trigger as I pulled out my R-Ninety-Nine. When I faced myself, the fake Crypto was aiming a wingman at me as I aimed my R-Ninety-Nine at him. I began to hear my teammates get knocked down from the gas, one by one before hearing the wicked laughter from Caustic in their mics.

Then, Wraith and Mirage were both killed. I clenched my teeth while tightening my grip on the trigger of my gun.

"Three versus one. You might as well take the bullet." The fake Crypto said, smirking at me.

I instantly pulled the trigger watching the bullets spray into myself. The fake Crypto didn't have time to think about pulling his own trigger since my gun was too fast as it blew through his body shield and health. He drops to the ground with his blood staining the snow under him. I reloaded my gun as he called for Gilbraltar and Caustic, but before he could finish, I shot a couple more bullets in his head to finish him off before taking off towards Epic Center. I slid down the hill, checking into my drone's eye, picking up Wraith's banner. Caustic had heard my drone flying by, shooting it down. When I was forced out of my drone's eye, I found myself heading towards a supply crate. So, I quickly raised up my hands and slammed into the crate. My hands were stinging from the heavy impact, but that didn't stop me from trying to get Mirage's banner. I didn't want Caustic to know I was nearby, so I stayed behind the crate, listening to Gilbraltar and Caustic loot the death boxes. I checked my ultimate ability; it was at ninety-five percent and the enemy team was almost done. I sighed, shaking my hands before the nervousness came out. I listened to the notification of my ultimate being ready. Though, I was still waiting on my drone to be regenerated.

"I'm going to go grab Crypto's banner. Be back in a second!" I heard Gilbraltar say before hearing his large footsteps heading towards me.

I pulled out an Arc Star and waited for him to pass by as my drone finally appeared back into its holster. I waited for Gilbraltar to pick up the fake Crypto's banner before I threw the Arc Star onto his back and yanked out my G-Seven Scout to make sure I knocked him. Then, the grenade finally exploded, leaving only Gilbraltar's death box and an explosion of blood around it.

"_Attention, the Champion has been eliminated._" Says the Announcer.

I pulled out my drone to look for Caustic while trying to grab Mirage's banner. I had heard his breathing within his gas mask, forcing my heart to race. I had found Mirage's death box, quickly getting my drone to pick up his banner before rushing my drone out of the area, but Caustic had cut off my drone one again and shot it down.

"I will find you, Rat!" I heard Caustic shouted.

My breathing hitched from his voice as I reloaded my G-Seven Scout. My mind was telling me to fight this chaotic man, but my gut told me to run. Hearing him call me rat was triggering my inner anger and I wanted to unleash it. I sighed and reloaded my R-Ninety-Nine before taking off towards the center of the Epic Center. My teammates began pinging the closest respawn beacon, but I ignored them. I wanted to take on my fears.

I heard Caustic's breathing close as his Nox gas tanks were being set down to be activated to my left of the building. I pulled out a Frag Grenade and tossed it in that direction before running right. The grenade went off as I heard one of the tanks activate and Caustic grunt from pain. I didn't break his body shield yet, so I turned the corner and pulled out my G-Seven to make sure I did. I was met with the head of another Peacekeeper with Caustic staring at me on the other end of the shotgun in interest.

"Intelligence always defeats courage." He says as he began to charge the shotgun.

I dodged the spray of bullets by ducking down and taking a punch to his stomach and pushed him back. Caustic coughed up of his blood, spitting it onto his gas mask, blocking some of his vision. He roars as he charges up his Peacekeeper again as I aimed my gun at him and fired. I had broken his shield while he fired his Peacekeeper, earning a near-death headshot. I ducked one last time to pull out my R-Ninety-Nine and threw bullets into his head.

Then, the shooting had stopped between us, I watched Caustic's lifeless body stand for a moment, allowing the blood in his gas mask to leak out before his body fell forward. Then, his death box appeared beside him, glowing purple for his Precision Choke. I dropped myself into the snow. I was covered in blood with only a bit of health left. My entire body was shivering as I pulled out a Medkit and a Shield Battery. I felt the medical supplies recharge my energy, but my shaking did not stop as I stepped up to Caustic's body and sighed.

"It appears that intelligence is just a word to you," I muttered to him before stepping my way towards the respawn beacon in the Epic Center, but as I climbing to it, someone had sniped at me from afar.

I fell back down into the snow and rushed to my feet to find cover. It was a third party trying to earn themselves free death boxes. They already knew I was here, so I quickly took off for the Ring.

**(A/N): Comment & Review! Also, check out my Wattpad: (ashlin_port)**


	7. Chapter 7

**(A/N): New chapter! Enjoy!**

"_Attention, the Ring is now closing._" The announcer echoed once again, putting more pressure against my chest as I ran.

I had finally made it through Capital City, running along the train tracks. It was a stupid idea to even run in a straight line in an open area, but I needed to make sure I made it into the next Ring. I avoided all fights around me, terrified when hearing footsteps nearby.

I was deciding between the respawn near Sorting Factory and Fuel Depot. I knew there was going to be a fight the moment I respawned my teammates, getting every other team to push us, but it was a chance I was willing to take. I was waiting for a ping from my teammates, hoping they would choose their fate for themselves, I didn't hear anything. So, I decided to run for the direction of Sorting Factory.

I quickly slid down the hill and began to respawn at the beacon. It didn't take long for the dropship to fly over the map as I watched Mirage and Wraith jump out from it. Wraith easily landed on her two feet while Mirage almost tripped over on his own.

"Didn't think you'll get us back," Wraith said as she stepped passed me to loot the building nearby. "There was a respawn outside of the Epic Center."

"There was a team nearby. That's a death wish." I responded while throwing out my drone to check on a champion banner in Sorting Factory. There were no teams in the area…yet.

"_I still don't trust you._" Wraith continued through her mic as I logged out of my drone.

"_She's only messing with you, Crypto,_" Mirage said, but I didn't believe that.

Wraith took the time to find the fake name I put on my application for this horrible game. Only her and nobody else. I had thought that Mirage had known about my plans when I first interacted with him, but now I believe it was Wraith all along. She's under my skin and I needed to get her out.

I didn't respond to either of them, taking the zip-line towards Sorting Factory. I pulled out my drone to check for any teams. We were still by ourselves but knowing that made me nervous. I left my drone's eye again and continued looking for better loot for my teammates. Wraith and Mirage continued their conversation, talking about almost anything.

That made me think about Mila.

"_Elliot, shoot down that drone. It has a Vault key. We can go to the one near Lava City._" Wraith said as I headed for the roofs of Sorting Factory and sat down on the edge, dangling my feet.

I watched my team continue to loot since I was already geared up. Though we all needed better body shields, so going to the Vault would be the best option for that. I pulled out my drone remote and began playing with it, watching it twist and turn within my grasp. I glanced at Mirage and noticed he was checking on me from afar. I nearly panicked when we made eye contact. Mirage stares at me for a second longer before waving. I don't respond to him, continuing to stare until he finally chases after Wraith who was heading into a small building.

I started to wonder why he was interested in me. Why he wanted my attention?

I quickly blew away the thought, stuffing my remote back into my pocket as I stood up.

"We're running out of time. We need to head for the Vault." I told my team through the mic. "If we don't go now, we'll meet up with the teams who are trying to get into the Ring."

"_You're so paranoid. Remember, it's just a game._" Wraith responded as I watch her exit the small building she was in with Mirage.

"This is my second match, _Baegchi_ (Idiot). I haven't had much experience constantly dying." I retorted.

"_I don't constantly die_."

I could tell I angered Wraith through her response, making me smirk.

"_Hey, um…w-we're still going to be working together as a team, right? I-I mean…I'm really hoping we win this match._" Mirage inputted, trying to stop the fight between Wraith and I.

Our mics grew silent until Mirage reminded Wraith about the Vault. It didn't take us too long to reach the entrance of the cave where the Vault laid since we took the balloon towards it.

Mirage quickly opens the Vault and Wraith took the majority of the best items in the room before Mirage could even step a foot into the Vault himself. I didn't really care for the loot as much as they did, so I leaned myself against the Vault doors and waited for them to finish.

"Hey! I opened the Vault!" Mirage shouted.

"If it wasn't for me telling you to shoot the drone, we would have never come here," Wraith responded.

"You're serious?" Mirage asked as he finally got the chance to look through the rest of the items.

Luckily for us, we all had on Level Three Body Armor, so armor wasn't the worry in our fight to win this match now.

We hurried out the cave, hearing the train entering Sorting Factory.

"Let's use that train to get to Tree," Wraith said.

"We could walk there. It's not far." I responded.

Wraith turns to me and smirks.

"Remember when you told me this was your second match? You don't have a say in this, Newcomer." She says before walking towards Sorting Factory.

I clenched my teeth, staring strongly at the back of Wraith's head. Though, I guess Mirage could see the anger in my expression cause I felt a hand gently touch my shoulder. I brushed it off the moment I felt it and locked eyes with Mirage.

"She was like this with Octane when they first played a match together. So, you don't need to worry too much?" Mirage explained and I didn't respond to him as I focused my eyes back on Wraith. "…Good talk."

Mirage walked off to follow Wraith when I noticed Wraith had stopped walking herself, scanning her surroundings before looking over her shoulder at Mirage and I.

"Sniper!" She shouted before I heard a bullet fired. I watched Wraith's head whiplash before she dropped to the ground. Her head was covered in blood while she yelled in agony.

"Shit! Wraith!" Mirage shouted as another bullet was shot, nearly hitting Mirage's head.

That bullet had forced Mirage to quickly hide behind a rock nearby just as I did.

"Where are the bullets coming from?" I asked in the mic.

"_Sorting Factory. Main building. O-on the roof._" Wraith answered.

"_Wraith, can you crawl to cover so I can revive you?_" Mirage asked her.

"_Too late. They're –_"

Then, we heard another bullet shot and Wraith's mic was cut. Mirage and I glanced at where she was Downed, finding her death box in a puddle of her blood. I nearly threw up.

"We have to run for Tree!" I shouted towards Mirage.

"We need to grab Wraith's banner first!" Mirage replied, sending out one of his decoys towards Wraith's death box.

"Don't go out there!" I yelled at him.

Mirage doesn't listen and runs for the death box a few seconds after his decoy. I knew the sniper would realize the second Mirage is the real one and I instantly took off for him. I pushed Mirage out of the open, making us both trip and fall behind cover. We heard the late bullet hitting the ground nearby before dropping into a puddle.

"What are you doing?" Mirage asked, shoving me off of him. Honestly, I was wondering the same thing. Why did I just save him? Was it because we are temporarily on the same team?

"Did you see that bullet? It didn't go for your decoy, Idiot." I answered him, getting back onto my feet in a crouch. Mirage was still laying down, staring at me. I could tell he knew I was right before he raised up.

Mirage checks his map and sighs.

"There's no other Respawn Beacon." He says.

"Then, we go to Tree," I responded.

Mirage glances at me before closing his map; he sighs.

"I hope you're fast, Kid. 'Cause we're running from a bullet to get to Tree. If we're lucky, the sniper has already attracted another team."

"We'll take off at the same time. It'll make the sniper have to choose who they want to shoot first." I added to Mirage's plan. I nearly said something about his nickname for me, but hearing Mirage sounding trustworthy again since he tackled me down the snowy hill in our last match together, I will let it pass for now.

Mirage suddenly raises out his hand and smirks at me. I don't take it, averting my eyes in the direction of Tree. The run seemed longer than walking to get there, terrifying me. My hands even began to shake.

"On my decoy," Mirage says, taking me out of my thoughts.

I glanced at him. I could tell he saw my shaking hands before he spoke; his smirk seemed more worried about me.

"…On your decoy." I repeated.

It took Mirage a moment before finally shooting out a clone of himself. Mirage and I took off for our lives as we watch a bullet fly through his decoy, turning it into pixels and disappear. I felt myself run a bit faster after watching that decoy be destroyed, the sniper was now on me. Every bullet they took, I still couldn't recognize the gun they were using.

I looked to my left, shocked to see Mirage right beside me. He seemed already out of breath from the burst of speed we had started with, but he showed in his stride that he could run all the way to Tree without the thought of taking a break.

Finally, a bullet was shot and was watched hitting a puddle in front of us. My heart nearly stopped. Then, another bullet was shot and had flown over my head, missing the back of Mirage's head. We both tsked, nearly tripping on our feet.

"We need to stop at that blue truck up ahead!" Mirage said beside me, pushing his speed to get to the cover he recommended a bit faster.

"They're going to follow us!" I shouted back.

"I see a third party on the other side of Sorting Factory coming for that team! We're – Augh!"

A shot was fired at us again and Mirage suddenly hits the ground as I ran passed him. I slid my feet into a complete stop before running back for Mirage. Blood was spilling from his ankle as he quickly shot out a decoy beside me.

"Go!" Mirage demanded me.

I quickly turned around to run off without him, but…I hesitated. I looked over my shoulder at Mirage, watching him watch his decoy finally disappear. I knew the next bullet was coming and fell on top of Mirage.

"W-what are you –"

We heard the bullet as it smashed itself into my chest. I tried to yell out the pain, but I only coughed up the blood in my mouth. I lazily glanced at Mirage's eyes. He was in shock about what I did. I begin to try to pick him up, feeling and hearing another bullet fly through my right leg. I dropped Mirage and myself back down in the dirt, screaming in my mouth.

"Crypto, j-just go!" Mirage told me.

Suddenly, we heard more bullets break out back in Sorting Factory. The team attacking us was attacked by a third party. I rushed Mirage and I back up to our feet and we dragged ourselves to the blue truck sitting beside three opened supply crates. We made sure to close the doors and hide in the back of the truck where there were no windows to catch our breaths.

I was shivering in pain and terror, watching the fight in Sorting Factory ahead of me. I checked my health bar and noticed the sniper needed one last shot to knock me down.

"W-why…why did you block the bullets?" Mirage asked me.

"…_Neon nado ttoggat-i haess-eo._ (…You did the same for me.)" I answered before coughing up some blood. I almost forgot I could heal myself back to normal health as if a near-death experience didn't just happen a moment ago.

"What?" Mirage asked me.

I sighed.

"We're a team," I answered again, beginning to use a syringe.

I couldn't get Mirage blocking a bullet for me out of my head. If it wasn't for him back at Overlook, I would be the one sitting in the Respawn Chamber right now. This idiot had his moments of stupidity, but he seems to be willing to take a bullet for anyone in this game.

"You know…I-I'm t –"

"_Attention, the Ring is now closing._" The Announcer said, interrupting Mirage.

**(A/N): Comment & Review! Also, check out my Wattpad (ashlin_port)**


	8. Chapter 8

**(A/N): Enjoy!**

"_I bangbeob!_ (This way!)" I shouted to Mirage as I ran for the next Circle. We were heading for the Tree and the intensity of the match had finally begun.

"What?" I heard Mirage call back.

"_This way!_" I answered, watching my surroundings.

"W-what is that…Spanish?"

"Korean."

"Really? Doesn't…doesn't really sound like it."

"Do you speak Korean?"

"No. Um…n-not at all, actually."

I rolled my eyes and didn't speak to him until we made it to another truck near the Tree, finding a few healing supplies before hiding in the truck until the next Ring was revealed. The Ring had ended completely on the Tree and the train tunnel that leads us to Thermal Station. I hope I never land there…too much lava…

"Looks like we're the first team here, so why don't we go ahead and take the back building?" Mirage asked as we crouched out of sight in the back of the truck.

"Not yet. Every other team will go for it as well."

"You can send out that drone of yours."

"It will let the enemy team know that there is another team already within the building. They'll plan before attacking us."

We grew silent, listening to the last few bullets fired back in Sorting Factory. Mirage wanted to claim the center of the Circle while I wanted to watch every move of the last five teams. I wanted to win just as much as he did, but I wanted to win with less pain as possible. I didn't want to experience another defeat like the last game.

I grabbed onto my remote and played with it once more.

"What are you playing with in your pocket?" Mirage asked, staring at my jacket pocket.

"None of your concern," I answered.

"Is it your stress toy?"

"It's not a stress toy."

Mirage tried to hide a chuckle, making me flustered. I wanted to choke him, but I started to hear footsteps nearby. I shushed him, peeking out the truck's door for a better view. It was a full team: Gilbraltar, Bloodhound, and Wattson. They were running from Sorting Factory and straight towards the largest building in the Tree zone.

"They're going to get it first!" Mirage whined above me. I glanced up, seeing him hovering above me to look out the door as well. I focused my eyes back on the enemy team, seeing Wattson fencing up the entire building.

"I'm going to have to use my E-M-P for the end of this match," I told Mirage while checking the map to see how many teams are left. There were now four teams left, including us.

We needed to make sure we have seen every one of those teams before we could move to our next location. Though, we only knew about the enemy in the large building. I didn't see the last two teams in the further building towards Thermal Station and nobody dared to stand on the platform built under the Tree itself. You were a walking target if you did. The only locations that were left were the buildings beside Mirage and I and another truck near the train tracks. What made everything more complicated was that we were not in the Ring yet. We had to run for the Tree platform and I knew another team would –

Suddenly, I was shot in the head, thrown back into the truck Mirage and I was hiding in. My ears were ringing and the pain didn't stop as I finally screamed out, trying to stand up. I saw my blood staining the floor, staining my clothes and hands.

"M-Mir –"

"I gotcha." I heard Mirage's voice echo in my ears as I felt him lay me down in my own puddle of blood. His movement was blurry and multiplied, making my eyes sore. So, I closed them, preparing for my death, but I only felt something being shoved in my heart. I yelled out again before jolting up in only a matter of seconds. I was still sitting in my bloody puddle, face to face with my last standing teammate. Our faces were inches apart, embarrassing ourselves as I shivered from another terrifying moment in my life.

_I was shot in the head. So…that is how it feels?_

"You…you-uh…feeling any better?" Mirage asked, still close to me.

I didn't answer him, glancing at the Medkit and Shield Battery already waiting for me nearby. I quickly grabbed the medical supplies and began to recharge my health and shield.

"That shot came from the building near Thermal Station." Mirage continued as he gave me my space, still watching my every move. "One enemy team knows where we are and we're out of the next Ring. _And_, we only have thirty seconds before we have to run, Crypto! We should have taken that building!"

I still didn't respond to him, continuing to completely heal myself before standing up and stepping out of my blood. I swallowed hard seeing that view.

Suddenly, I heard something hit the truck from outside before hearing a few loud beeps. I knew what was counting down, terrified for my life, but it was too late for me to at least escape the painful feeling that was about to fill my lungs.

Caustic's gas bomb exploded outside as the gas rushed in from the open door Mirage and I was looking out of. I felt the poison rush into my lungs as I grabbed Mirage by his wrist to hurry out the truck with him right behind me. Though, I've never experienced the Nox gas before, so I instantly dropped to the ground to try and handle the new poison I haven't had experience with.

"Crypto, come on!" Mirage coughed, grabbing me by my jacket and pulled me towards the edge of the hill we were on.

I couldn't handle the pain, feeling drool slide down my chin as Mirage picked me up and held me tight in his arms. Then, I felt him and I fall off the edge of the hill, dropping hard into a large puddle below. I coughed a few more times before finally gaining the strength to raise myself up. Mirage and I had locked eye contact when I leaned back and noticed I was on top of him once more, making us both freeze. I assume I startled Mirage since he clenched my jacket from the back.

Then, I heard more movement ahead of us and I quickly yanked out my G-Seven Scout and was ready to fire.

"Don't fire!" Mirage demanded as I heard his Invisibility Cloak go off. He pushes my gun out my hand and myself back into the ground, covering me with his own Ulitmate Ability. Then, I felt his lips against my ear. "S-sorry, but we'll be third partied by the other two teams if we attack."

I felt his entire body against me while I laid there pissed off. We both couldn't see anything behind us to make sure we were safe, so we had to stay still until Mirage's Ulitmate Ability had worn off. I felt our stomachs fighting one another to rise and drop. Mirage was beating me due to his nervousness. He sighs beside my ear to calm himself before his Cloak finally turned off. So he raises up, glances at me for a second, and looks over his shoulder to make sure we were safe. Then, he grabs my gun, removes himself off of me, and holds out my gun to me. I wanted to yank it out from his grasp, but he saved our lives once again from suddenly being smart. I avoided eye contact and gently took my gun back.

"…Smart move." I told him.

Mirage gleamed.

"Right?" He replied, before giving me a hand to get back on my feet.

"_Attention, the Ring is now closing._" The Announcer finally said.

"We're heading for the truck near the train tracks," I explained to Mirage and he nodded before we took off for our next location.

As we did, two teams began to fight on the center platform, giving us the perfect chance to claim the truck under the entire fight. Then, as Mirage and I were running, I had thought of an idea. Once we entered the truck, I grabbed Mirage's attention.

"I trust you," I told him and Mirage didn't seem to believe me. "I have an idea."

Mirage was still glued to my first comment.

"…I'm…I'm all ears?" He replied in confusion.

I began to explain to him about using my EMP on the two teams that were fighting. The EMP should force the third team to be interested in being a third party to the fight. After they join, we will run in after and hope we are the last team standing in victory.

Mirage nodded without a moment to think about my plan and pulled out his R-301. I nodded back and threw out my drone.

I led it towards the fight between the two teams and started my EMP. The enemy teams began to avoid it as I watched the third team hiding in the largest building continue to watch the fight.

"Are they joining the party?" I heard Mirage ask.

"Not yet. They are still watching." I answered.

"It's not working."

"Wait for another knockdown. That should trigger the third team."

I made sure my drone wasn't noticed by anyone as the two teams continued fighting. Though, the third team still didn't want to budge and it began to frustrate me.

_Why don't they want to join into a nearly finished fight?_

It didn't take long for one of the teams to knock another body, but that was what we needed. The third enemy team had finally run out towards the other teams. So, I quickly called back my drone and yanked out my R-99. Mirage understood just by looking at my facial expression and ran out of the truck with me following behind him.

"I will attack the left side of the platform and you attack the right," I told Mirage as we ran under the platform to find the stairs up to our possible death.

"Don't worry about me. I'll wipe that third team before you even knock down someone!" Mirage teased before going his way up to the platform.

Before I ran up, I yanked out my drone one last time and aimed it over the last three teams to have the revealing advantage for Mirage and I. Then, I logged out my drone and sighed out the tension in my body before rushing up the stairs to help my teammate.

**(A/N): Comment & Review! Also, check out my Wattpad! (ashlin_port)**


	9. Chapter 9

**(A/N): New Chapter! Enjoy!**

The moment I ran into the fight under the Tree, I had found Octane healing himself behind a box and I instantly pulled the trigger on him. I only wasted a few bullets before knocking him down. I reloaded my gun as I ran to finish him. I threw Octane on his back and began to search for more light ammo as he tried to block my view by pushing his hands in my face. So, I sucker-punched him in his, completely taking him down. Octane's death box appeared beside his body, allowing me to have an easier time grabbing a bigger bag and light ammo.

"_You doing alright?_" Mirage asked in the mic, nearly scaring me enough to jump and aim behind me.

"…Yeah. I'm fine." I answered, taking cover behind the same box Octane was using and checked on my drone.

The third team with Gilbraltar, Wattson, and Bloodhound was taking on one of the other teams. They were on the opposite end of the platform when Mirage snuck up behind Bloodhound who was snipping behind a box, mounting their Charge Rifle to have an easier aim. I continued to watch, hoping Mirage could at least take one down.

Mirage aimed his gun behind Bloodhound's head and fired, dropping the enemy in an instant before throwing out a decoy of himself and taking off down the stairs behind him.

"_Thanks for the reveal._" He says, losing my sight of him.

I didn't respond, watching Gilbraltar throw out his Dome Shield to quickly revive his teammate as Wattson fenced up the front and the back of the dome.

"Don't go back up there. Wattson used her fences." I told Mirage before I felt someone grab at my neck.

I logged out my drone and dropped my remote before locking my eyes with Caustic. He was smiling at me, making me flinch as I tried to pull myself out of his grasp. Caustic was too strong. He held me up only by the neck, so I couldn't touch the floor. I was quickly dying, barely able to attempt an escape. Mirage had to hear me gaging. _Why didn't he hear me?_

"I would say thank you for getting rid of that idiotic pest that I had to call a teammate, but being able to kill you slowly is much more fulfilling," Caustic said, gazing into my eyes with complete interest.

I grunted at him. The only sound I could make as I felt his hand tighten. I began to choke on my saliva, trying to gain a breath, but I was losing my sight. I tried to swing my legs and make any counter against Caustic's body, but he made sure to hold me from a distance.

Suddenly, an Ark Star was thrown and stuck onto Caustic's clothes. We both focused on it, wondering where it came from. I turned my head and closed my eyes the moment the grenade went off. I felt the release of Caustic's grip as I was thrown a few feet back behind me. I hit the center of the platform, spazzing out from the electrocution of the Ark Star.

"_Cryp…alright?_" Mirage asked in the mic as it was affected as well.

It was painful to move anything as I tried to crawl to safety. I wasn't down yet, but the Ark Star was surprisingly stronger than my own E-M-P. I felt the foam in my mouth, spitting it out the moment I tasted it. My ears were ringing, nearly muffling my hearing.

"_Cryp-Cr-Crypto?_" Mirage continued calling.

"F-find Caustic. H-he's low on health." I told him, reaching for my drone, but I was in too much pain. So, I attempted to crawl, hiding near a supply crate to lean on as I recovered my health with a medkit and shield shells. I noticed I was running out of medical supplies and was desperate to find Caustic to get more. Though, I was terrified to fight him again; he nearly defeated me with only a chokehold.

I looked to my left and saw Wattson's team from earlier still holding on. Gilbraltar's Dome Shield had vanished, but they had won the fight with the other team. Wattson was recharging her shield, laughing and talking with Gilbraltar as Bloodhound fed their crow. Suddenly, Bloodhound focused their goggles in my direction. They pressed something on their wrist and a red wave scanned the area. I was covered in a red light; it was a reveal. My breath hitched as I quickly got to my feet. I ran to my remote that was left on the ground before rushing out of Bloodhound's sight.

"Mirage!" I muttered into my mic as I jumped over the platform's rails to look for him, easily landing on the ground without a struggle. I checked the map, seeing his indicator somewhere on the platform, but I knew Mirage was under it.

"Don't come near me or we both die!" Mirage responded before feeling a hand grab mine.

Whoever had my hand, yanked me back, and I made eye contact with Mirage.

"Where's Caustic?" I asked him.

"I don't know, but are you okay?"

I hesitated. Mirage asking me if I was alright, confused me and even pissed me off. He should have heard me on the mic with Caustic, but he never came to help. I pulled my hand away from his.

"Where were you? Caustic nearly killed me."

"_Wraith nearly killed me!_ When I heard the explosion and watched your health drop, Wraith ambushed me! I guess she knew I was your teammate."

I sighed.

"Did you at least find Caustic?" I asked Mirage.

Suddenly, I heard a gun go off. It sounded like a shotgun as Mirage coughed up blood and fell into my arms. I pulled out my R-Ninety-Nine and searched for whoever pulled the trigger. I met Caustic's eyes in front of me; I could tell he was low on health.

"Crypto…run…" Mirage muttered, trying to hold onto my jacket. The wound on his back was horrible, I couldn't completely look at it without feeling a curl in my stomach.

Caustic aimed his Mastiff at my face, stepping closer to us.

"I will blow your head off before your bullet hits me." He spat as I listened to the grass crunch under his boots.

Mirage was beginning to lose his strength against me, slowly sliding to the ground. I helped him back up while keeping my eyes glued to Caustic. Either way, Mirage or I will die with any decision I made, but I was hoping the last team had heard Caustic pull his trigger on his shotgun, but Gilbraltar and his team were nowhere to be seen yet.

"Mirage, use your cloak," I muttered.

Mirage exhales out his pain, slowly grabbing my free hand, and pressed it against one of his discs on his suit.

"Twist it to activate it." He sighs.

"Using it now," I replied before activating the invisibility cloak.

I dropped Mirage and I onto the ground, hearing Caustic fire his shotgun above us. I checked my bag behind Mirage, finding a Thermite Grenade to throw on the enemy. I launched the grenade over my head, perfectly landing it between Caustic's feet. The fire flared out in a line, burning the psycho man alive. Caustic was hollering until he finally collapsed, dead in the flames. Mirage left his cloak, laying on his stomach with sweat against his forehead. His blood began to soak the grass under him as he made sure not to move a muscle.

Before I even had the chance to run or revive Mirage, the last team had found us. I sighed, dropping my gun at their feet.

"You have fought well. Remember that." Bloodhound said, aiming their Flatline at me.

"Are you okay, Elliot?" Wattson asked, crouching beside Mirage.

Mirage answered with a nod; he was in too much pain.

"Go ahead and finish us," I told the enemy team as I pulled off my shield to make it easier for whoever was going to kill me.

"You're not even going to try to run, Brotha'? At least try to put up a fight." Gilbraltar said as he holstered his weapon to cross his arms at me. He sounded disappointed, but I didn't care how he felt about my decision.

"It is three versus one. I will not win. I do not have the advantage of you not knowing where I am." I replied, prepared to throw a grenade on myself to finish this match. "You're making Mirage suffer for letting me decide my fate. Just end the match already."

Suddenly, I had an idea as Wattson stepped away from Mirage. The enemy team began to decide who would kill me. I pulled my bag to my chest as they had a small discussion between themselves while I quickly grabbed a Thermite Grenade.

"_Majimag gihoe._ (Last chance.)" I muttered to myself as I laid my free hand against my back to make sure my G-Seven-Scout was still holstered. Luckily for me, it was still there. I focused back on the enemy team as they finally made a decision, and that was my cue.

I tossed the Thermite Grenade onto the team as I rushed to my feet to quickly pick up my body shield. I ran for my life while hearing their screams from the fire burning them alive. I didn't want to look back, Bloodhound could scan me in only a matter of seconds, so I needed to keep running.

Suddenly, the Ring began to close and forced me to skid into a halt. I needed to find high ground or strategic cover against Bloodhound.

Suddenly, Wattson was knocked from being outside the Ring.

_I have a chance_, I thought, hiding behind a tree trunk to use my drone, searching for my last two opponents.

It was a risky choice of mine, but I needed more eyes. I had found Gilbraltar, staring at Wattson in terror while she suffocated from the Ring, and finally dropping dead. I had found Bloodhound just a few feet away from their last teammate, starting another reveal; it was inches away from scanning me. I began to search for them, finding them rushing towards my position. I logged out my drone and aimed down sights on Bloodhound. I shot multiple bullets before finally hitting two shots against their chest. They growled at me, still running towards me as they yanked out their hatchet from their waist. Bloodhound pounced towards me, swinging for my face. I fell back into the ground, dodging the attack. Though, they went for a backhand swing towards my chest, forcing me to roll away, and quickly get back onto my feet.

I continued to check my surroundings, making sure Gilbraltar wasn't near yet as I kept my distance from my enemy.

"You have reflexes, Felagí Fighter. Though, you will not defeat me with only your speed." Bloodhound said before spinning their hatchet in their hand.

I dashed for them, preparing for another swing from their hatchet. Expected, Bloodhound swings, but I kept their weapon back by slamming my arm against theirs. They growled behind their mask and pushed me away with their other hand. They were quick, taking a chance to cut my chest while I staggered. I winced, making sure I kept my eyes on them while dodging another attack.

I was running out of time. Gibraltar was probably seconds away from us, aiming his weapon on me. I needed this chance, I needed to win.

I called for my drone while running for Bloodhound one last time.

"Come geta." They growled before running towards me.

I waited for their swing of the hatchet, dodging another time as my drone flew into the fight. I jumped up, grabbed it mid-flight as it turned into a sword-like shape and swung it into Bloodhound's face. They instantly hit the ground, losing their weapon as I pulled out my G-Seven-Scout and finished them off with a bullet to the head.

I couldn't catch my breath, hearing footsteps charging for me from behind. I knew it was Gilbraltar, but I wasn't fast enough to avoid his charge. He pushes his full weight against my back, throwing me into a tree trunk nearby. I coughed up blood as I yelled out for the stinging surrounding my torso and back. I dropped to the ground, sight blurry vision as I watched the large man step towards me, grabbing me by my vest. I no longer had strength, barely seeing the anger in his eyes.

"This is for my team," Gilbraltar said before pulling out his weapon and aimed it at my head.

I activated my E-M-P, shoving my drone against his body. Gilbraltar panicked, focusing on my drone as I pulled the gun from his hands and fired as many bullets as I could before I felt his strength off my vest. I screamed as my EMP ran through my body, forcing me to finally passed out.

**(A/N): Comment and Review! Also, check out my Wattpad! (ashlin_port)**


	10. Chapter 10

**(A/N): New chapter! Enjoy!**

It was another nightmare I couldn't handle: The Syndicate finding me and shooting multiple bullets into my chest without a second thought.

This dream always seemed to be so real, even when I knew it wasn't. I woke up with a pulsing headache and my shivering at its max strength. I stared up at the ceiling, waiting for my shakes to finally subside. I turned my head, staring at my monitor as my logo circled on the screen. I released a sigh and stood up, glancing at the wall clock over my desk: 2:25 A.M.

A pulse to my forehead came and left, making me wince.

"Shit…" I muttered softly to myself while slowly stepping towards the door. I left my quarters for the kitchen that was just a hallway from me. A few of my steps needed support from the walls. Then, it was just a matter of leaning against the counters while I searched through all the cabinets, looking for painkillers. "Where are they?"

"Are you gonna be one of-shit!" I heard a voice begin to say in the doorway of the kitchen, startling them with the first object I found to throw: a paper towel roll.

Mirage was at the door. He was wearing a onesie of his own suit. It took me a moment to realize it.

"What's wrong with you?" Mirage asked as he picked up the roll off the floor and stepped towards me to set it back on the counter.

I looked away from Mirage when he glanced down at me.

"Nothing. Just leave me alone." I said, beginning to step past Mirage to return to my quarters. Maybe I have some medicine stashed in my belongings somewhere...

Suddenly, I felt Mirage grab for my arm. It had caught me off guard, so I lost my balance, and fell into him. My headache beat me down, making me moan in pain.

"Sorry! Sorry! I-I didn't mean to-"

"Shut up!" I shouted, interrupting Mirage. I glared up at him, shoving him away. My head was throbbing and I just wanted to punch him in the face!

"C-can I just say one thing…?" Mirage asked me as I stepped towards the entrance of the kitchen.

I tried to ignore him, going past the doorway, but I stopped in the halls. I was staring down at my feet, fighting myself on if I should answer the man.

"...What?" I answered, giving in.

There was silence between us again.

"...I-uh...I-I just wanted to say...you-uh...you did amazing today in the Arena. Honestly...honestly better than anyone else did on their first day. Still can't believe you won the last match." Mirage said.

My bullets into Gibraltar's skull were faster than my E.M.P.. It was odd dying and waking up on top of Gibraltar, dead and with only half of his head still intact. Embarrassingly, I puked beside his body from the sight. It was all on social media the moment I did:

_New Contender: Crypto! _

_Defeats a full team and pukes as his victory cheer! Is he ready for the Apex Games or is gore too much for the guy?!_

I didn't look back at Mirage. I didn't even say a word to his compliment and left him alone as I stepped away to my room. It wasn't long before I heard Mirage's feet stepping up behind me.

"C-can I know why I'm such a bother to you? You can't be pissed with me when _you're _the one who nearly broke my arm." Mirage continued, following me to my quarters.

I didn't feel like answering him; just registering his question made my head throb. I stepped into my room and began to close the door, but Mirage stopped me before I could. I glared at him over my shoulder and Mirage didn't hesitate to look me in the eyes.

"Are you going to be an adult and tell me?" Mirage asked, looking serious, but it was obviously a joke. I scoffed at his attempt, stepping away to my desk to search for painkillers.

"Funny. The one who acts as a child tells me to be an adult." I responded, finding a small foil package of pills. I opened it and quickly swallowed the two small and circular pills. In the corner of my eye, I could see Mirage watching me, quietly.

"You know, I can take back my damn comp-comp...the nice stuff I said about you." Mirage spat, sounding more frustrated than angry.

"Go ahead."

I climbed back into bed and laid my head back into my pillows, not taking the effort to cover myself up. I looked back towards the direction Mirage was, but he wasn't there.

* * *

A few months has gone by since my first day in the Apex Games. I've met a lot more of the Legends and learned more of why they were here, willing to experience pain for dirty cash. Matches with Mirage were still a pain and seeing him around the dropship was just another argument or insults waiting to happen.

I don't understand why he's such a bother to me, but seeing him pissed when I do better than him always seems to make my day a bit better. Though, I will say he's an adequate teammate and I would give him a better compliment if he wasn't so annoying...

It was the month of October, so the Syndicate was planning to make Halloween costumes for everyone and not everyone agreed. Though the Syndicate didn't care, they sent everyone a costume for the unofficial holiday and if we didn't wear it, our pay when winning matches would be cut.

I didn't care about the money. I just wanted to get closer to the Syndicate's weakest point to destroy, so I made sure I wore the costume. Hopefully kissing their ass would grab their attention...

The week of Halloween came and I finally had to dress into the vampire costume I was given. I was staring at myself in the mirror, pissed with myself for liking something the Syndicate made for me. Why was I still playing this death game? Why was I not trying to clear my name? _Why was I wearing a damn costume?_

"It is true! King's Canyon was haunted and you all were wearing your Halloween costumes! And, there was another robot like me who loved to laugh and say funny jokes!" I heard Pathfinder explain outside my door.

Last match, Pathfinder ran into one of Wraith's portals, but Wraith had said it wasn't hers. It could have easily been one of her doppelgangers within the match, but Pathfinder stepped out a moment later with an unbelievable story of haunted King's Canyon being hosted by a robot. At the moment, no one is believing him. I wouldn't either. This story is coming from a naive robot. Why would anyone believe him?

I checked my costume one last time before stepping out my quarters. Everyone, but Pathfinder and Octane had a costume. I was expecting the daredevil to have one, but I guess he wasn't interested.

"You're 'vinning pay 'vill be cut, Octavio!" Natalie said to him in the lounge. She was in her original suit, but it was in red and black with glowing bats scattered everywhere. Her skin was painted like mine, her hair was dyed black, she wore red eye contacts, and black lipstick. I guess it was planned for her to be the vampire…

"Nah! The costume will just slow me down, chica! The higher-ups will understand! No worries!" Octane replied, stretching his arms.

Octane was correct. Weight upon his abilities would just slow him down. He's smarter than he acts sometimes…

"Howdy, Partner! Lookin' for a handsome cowboy in need of a horse?" I heard Mirage say to the left of me, trying to attempt a western accent. I glanced at him for a second, seeing him dressed as a cowboy before focusing back on the chaos in the lounge.

"Leave me alone, old man." I responded, watching Bangalore step into the conversation with Natalie and Octane. Natalie was amazed with the soldier's costume while Octane slapped her in the back for respect. Bangalore nearly killed him that second he did.

"Oh, come on! Roleplay with me here! Nobody else wants to! Well...besides the robot…" Mirage whines. "Look at this costume! I mean, yours is pretty cool too, but look at mine! It took me a few days to decide what I wanted to be and I'm kind of disappointed that the hat covers my hair, but it keeps my curls safe, I guess…"

"Does it look like I care?" I growled, glaring at him with my glowing, blue eye contacts.

I had noticed Mirage flinched when we made eye contact and a little blush appeared on his face. Seeing his reaction to my eyes made my cheeks burn, and I quickly looked ahead again.

"Uh...c-cool contacts. I-I should have got some too..." Mirage said, making it worse.

"I'm not your teammate this match, so you have no reason to make small talk. You have plenty of other people in this room to speak with besides me."

"Who's on your team then?" Mirage asked, seeming to not have heard what I had just said.

I side-eyed him and watched him for a moment while he watched the others in the lounge.

"...Natalie and Makoa." I answered, looking ahead as well. I didn't want him to look at me and find me staring at him. When he wasn't absolutely annoying, he was actually a relaxed man.

"I got Ajay and the robot…" Mirage goaned. "Did you hear his little fairytale story? King's Canyon was haunted and was hosted by another robot. Who would have thought a robot could dream, huh?"

"Didn't Wraith say he went through one of her portals?" I asked, side-eyeing him again.

Mirage frowned as he crossed his arms. He just realized I was right.

"Then...what if he -"

"_Attention: The match will begin in seven minutes. Please meet your teammates on the jumping platforms._" Said the Announcer, interrupting Mirage.

"Woo-hoo! King's Canyon! Let's do this!" Octane cheered as he ran for the jumping platforms. He was repeatedly jumping beside Bloodhound who nodded to him with agreement.

Their costume was pretty impressive. They wore a jack o' lantern head and dressed themselves as a scarecrow. Their crow, Artur, stood upon their arm, squawking at Octane who had startled him.

"Yes. Let us claim our victory as Champions once again, Silva." They spoke.

Then, Caustic stomped up beside Octane. His looks ahead, ignoring his teammates in an intimidating and terrifying clown costume. I had accidentally made eye contact with him and he kept his death stare on me until I focused my eyes on my feet down. Then, my hands began to shake. I clenched my fists to cover the shiver from Caustic and Mirage.

I haven't been killed by Caustic yet, but making eye contact has probably just decided my fate.

**(A/N): Comment & Review! Also, check out my Wattpad for worlds I created! (ashlin_port)**


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